


Transformation

by savvysass



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Galra Keith (Voltron), Galra Transformation, M/M, caretaker!Lance, established klance, migraines, sick!keith, tooth pain, torture not pictured
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-05-07 17:12:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14675718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/savvysass/pseuds/savvysass
Summary: A druid's experiment leaves Keith transformed into a galra hybrid. This causes Keith a lot of pain, and his boyfriend Lance tries to take care of him.





	Transformation

Lance raced down the hall, his breath ragged as the alarms blared around him. His side was burning from exertion, his head hurt from his concussion, and he was extremely dehydrated, but none of that mattered.

All that mattered right now was getting to Keith.

He and his boyfriend had been captured about two days ago, a botched mission and an inability to get in contact with the team to blame, and he had been worried of course, but that worry turned into terror when a druid came in and placed a needle in Keith’s neck. A strangled scream tore from Keith’s throat, and he went limp. The druid dragged his body away from Lance immediately afterwards. It had resulted in a nasty kick to the head when Lance tried to save him, and that was the last time they had visited.

Lance had spent the two days trying to formulate an escape plan, but considering no one was even checking on him, he didn’t have a lot to work with- that and he was sick with worry about Keith. What had been in that needle? What were they doing to him?

A few minutes ago the alarms had started to go off, and Lance waited with baited breath as the cell door opened.

“Lance!” Hunk had cried, the relief on his face palpable. “Thank god you’re okay! I-Where’s Keith?”

“You don’t know?!” Lance cried in horror, his heart rate rising as Hunk undid his restraints.

“Pidge- Do you see anything? Keith isn’t with Lance!”

“No- they must have taken his suit because I can’t track him. Just- search the ship! I’ll show you on your map where there are heat signatures.” Pidge had replied in frustration.

Now they were running up and down the corridors, opening every single door with a sentry arm Hunk had ripped off. They had found a few prisoners, and Hunk had made quick work of showing them the way to the yellow lion for extraction. As they reached the end of the corridor, dread settled in Lance’s stomach. 

What if they didn’t find him? What if they had taken him to another ship?

What if he was dead?

He shook his head, physically trying to rid the idea from his head.

Keith was fine. He had to be.

“Pidge, do you see any other heat signatures?” Hunk asked nervously, knowing what Lance was thinking.

“There seems to be one around the corner, but be careful. There is a lot of quintessence radiating from that room. I’m guessing the druids experiment in there.”

Lance swallowed nervously. He wanted to find Keith, but the idea that he had been in some kind of druid experimentation room…

“Is there anywhere else...?”

“It’s the only place I see that would contain a prisoner. It’s not that big a ship…” She said quietly, and Lance clenched his fists.

“Open it, Hunk.”

Lance held his breath as the door opened. They stepped in to see a galra strapped to the table, and Lance’s heart broke.

“It’s not him.”

“Lance-”

Lance fell to his knees.

He wasn’t here. He could be anywhere in the universe, hurting. There was only this unconscious galra with a horrible mullet…

Wait.

“Keith…?” He whispered, Hunk whipping his head around as Lance rushed to the galra’s side.

“Lance- Lance what are you-”

“It’s Keith.”

Hunk frowned at him.

“No- Lance-”

“Hunk, it’s him, just look!”

Hunk hesitated as he approached, but he took a sharp inhale at the sight of a purple skinned- Keith with fangs, pointy ears, and 2 stripes on his face. He was lying motionless on the table with restraints on his arms and legs and some purple fluid travelling from a tube into his arm.

“How did they-”

“I don’t know, but we need to get him out.” Lance said lowly, already fidgeting with the tube running out of Keith’s arm.

They had hurt Keith.

They were going to pay.

Keith’s face scrunched up as Lance slowly pulled out the tube out, and Lance felt something in his chest unclench at the fact he was responding.

“Sorry, Baby.” Lance whispered, Hunk giving them a moment as he looked on the control panel for a switch to release the restraints. When he found it, the restraints came off and Lance immediately tried to rouse Keith.

“Keith… Keith, Love, wake up.” Lance said as he patted his cheek, Keith morbidly still throughout it all. Hunk came by after a second to try rubbing on his chest.

“Galra Keith… It’s time to wake up…” He chuckled, and Lance frowned.

“Don’t call him that, man. Come on.”

“Sorry. Let’s just carry him.”

Lance nodded, and he grabbed the viles on the table so they could try to figure out exactly what they did to his boyfriend. 

As Hunk lifted Keith, he let out a moan, and Lance felt his stomach clench.

He was in pain.

“I’ll be gentle.” Hunk promised, and Lance nodded solemnly. As they approached the gaping hole the yellow and blue lions had left in the hull of the ship, they ran into Allura holding their armor and bayards.

“Sweet Grogery…” Allura said breathlessly as Hunk and Lance approached. She reached out and lowered Keith onto a stretcher. “What have they done to him…?”

“I don’t know, but we have to get him out of here,” Lance said firmly. Allura nodded and led the two of them into the blue lion, Hunk promising to meet them in the medical bay once they got done finishing off the fleet.

Inside, Lance placed the viles to the side and settled next to Keith on the tiny cot that was in the back of the lions, his hands gently running through Keith’s now purple hair. His face was scrunched up and his breathing was shallow, and he seemed to be constantly shaking and sweating.

“It’s okay Baby… We made it out… Just hang on a little longer.” Lance whispered to him, placing a soft kiss to his temple.

After what felt like an eternity, the castle came into view. As they landed in the hangar, Allura rushed to the back, picking Keith up bridal style as gently as she could. He let out a stuttering moan, and Lance bit back tears.

He picked up the viles of strange fluids, one purple liquid that looks like what they were pumping into him, and one bright yellow liquid that seemed to be some type of quintessence. He and Allura rushed down the hall, the adrenaline in his veins the only thing keeping him upright at the moment, and he almost cried when the medical bay came into view.

They rushed through the doors, Coran taking a sharp inhale as they place Keith on the table. His face quickly evened out though, and Lance blessed the stars that at least Coran knew how to stay calm during all of this.

“This looks to be the druids’ work.” He said venomously, hooking up a tube to his other arm, and Lance frowned at the dark bruise that was forming from his poor attempt to remove the other IV. “I believe we should flush out anything in his system before we put him in a pod. Lance, my boy, why don’t you lay on the table next to him so I can examine you as well.”

“I can wait. Just help him first.” Lance said with conviction, and Coran frowned.

“At least lie down then. You look like you might collapse any moment.”

Lance hesitated for a moment before lying on the table next to Keith, his eyes focused on the boy next to him as he lay quietly in the room. Coran stuck the two viles in some kind of scanner, and he quickly filed through the results.

“The purple vile seems to be some kind of galra genetics enhancer- something that will make a galra’s genes stronger and more efficient. I’m guessing this is what they gave to him to make him look like this. The other container seems to be a very pure form of quintessence. I’m guessing it is acting as some kind of antidote for when the effects are too strong.”

“Should we give him the quintessence? Or will it cause more negative side effects?” Lance asked nervously, already sitting up before Allura eased him back down.

“I think it is a viable solution in turning him back to normal, but I’m not sure of the effects.” Coran said solemnly. “It looks like they may have already given him some, so I don’t think it will create too much of an issue…”

“Do it.” Lance said with conviction. “If there’s a chance this will fix him, we should take it. Just… go slow.”

Coran nodded, and he added the vile of quintessence to the IV.

After a few moments, Keith began to arch his back, breathing harshly before whimpering pathetically. Lance shot up at the noise, his dizziness ignored in light of rushing to Keith side.

His veins glowed some strange color before the pale blotches began forming on his skin, the purple fading to reveal his natural skin color He breathed harshly through the transformation, and Lance couldn’t stop the tears that fell at the sight.

As the vile ran empty, Keith’s skin had completely returned to normal except for one of the purple stripes on his face, and his hair wasn’t purple anymore, but he was still shaking and sweating, and Lance frowned when he saw he still had the fangs and his ears were still slightly pointy. When Coran peaked at his eyes to see if he was responsive, he gasped at the yellow tint they had taken and how large his violet pupils had become.

“I think we should put him in the pod. All of this altering of his body has drastically drained him.” Allura added, and Lance nodded. They didn’t exactly know what they were doing here, but Keith was obviously in pain, and he’d do anything to spare him of that.

“You as well, my boy. No need for you to be out here alone!” Coran added thoughtfully. Lance sighed as he stood from the table, wobbling before Allura steadied him.

“Check him thoroughly if he gets out before I do, okay? He was really hurting earlier.” he said worriedly, and Coran nodded as he led him into the pod. The last thing he saw was Coran loading Keith into a pod as well before the chill set over him.

-

As he awoke, he knew he was falling out of the pod, landing in thick arms that wrapped around him as tight as they could.

“Lance, thank god! We were so worried!” Hunk said through tears, and Pidge wrapped around his side.

“Are you okay? After we lost contact and the ship started to take off, we were all trying to locate you! It took forever!”

“Guys- Guys I’m fine! They just locked me in a room- they didn’t even touch me.” He said with a chuckle, and everyone seemed to soften at that. He really did get off lucky to not be tortured at all.

Unlike Keith.

The thought put a pit in his stomach, and he looked at the empty pod beside him with a frown.

“Where’s Keith?” He said urgently, and the group broke up their hug as Shiro came between them.

“Keith is in your room, resting. He isn’t really talking about what happened, and we aren’t trying to push him.”

“Is he… better?” Lance said hesitantly, and he could tell from how quiet everyone was that that wasn’t the case.

“I think it would be best if you just went and saw for yourself.” Shiro said softly, and he patted his hand on his back as he led him to the door. “I’ll stop by and bring you some food.”

Lance shot him a horrified look, and Shiro laughed. “Don’t worry. Hunk will cook it.”

Lance flashed him a grin before jogging down the hall, slowing down as he reached the door. He took a breath to prepare himself for what might be in there.

He slid the door open and stood in the threshold for a moment, observing a large Keith-shaped lump in the bed. All of the lights were off, and he kept them that way in case Keith had a reason. He slipped inside, sitting on the bed before he placed his hand on the mound of sheets.

“Keith?” He whispered, and the sheets constricted tighter around the curled-up form.

“Keith, I know you’re in there.”

“Donlookame…” Keith mumbled, and Lance frowned.

“What?” He asked as he tried to lift the sheets, and he felt Keith grip them tightly.

“I said don’t look at me.” He said more clearly, and Lance smoothed his hand over what he thought was his head.

“Baby, come on-”

“No, Lance. I look… weird.” He mumbled, and Lance laid down on the bed.

“You’ve had a mullet since the day I met you, Keith.”

“Lance.”

“Well I saw you before we gave you the antidote stuff, and it didn’t freak me out then. I think I can handle it now. Come on, open up.” Lance said as he tapped on the sheets.

Slowly, Keith’s mullet started to peak out, and Lance smiled as Keith’s eyes fluttered open.

He tried not to react to the large purple pupils staring back at him, the white of his eyes transformed into a softly glowing yellow. His ears were just barely pointy, but it was still noticeable. He had a long stripe on his cheek as well. His lips were pursed in a tight line, but he could guess what was underneath.

With resolve, Lance eased into a smile.

“Beautiful as always.” He said softly, and he saw a blush dust over Keith’s cheeks.

“No it’s not.”

“It is. Can I see your teeth?” Lance asked softly, and Keith parted his lips ever so slightly to reveal the tips sharp fangs. He noticed that his lips seemed quite swollen, but he couldn’t see much else in the dark. He poked the fangs lightly with his finger, and Keith immediately pulled back with a wince.

“Sorry! Sorry, are they sore?” Lance said quickly, and Keith shook his head shallowly.

“They’re fine.” He said after a moment, but Lance could tell he was lying.

“Can you tell me what happened…?” Lance asked quietly, and Keith looked away from him.

“I just… I want to help you.” Lance prodded, and he placed his hand on Keith’s, the boy easing his fingers into his hold.

“What about you?” Keith said after a moment, and Lance sighed.

“Once they took you away, they stopped checking on me. I kind of wish they had come back- it would have given me a chance to escape and come get you.”

Keith simply nodded, visibly relaxing now that he knew they hadn’t tortured Lance as well. They sat in silence for a moment before Keith spoke again.

“I don’t really know what all they did… They had me drugged. I know they filed my teeth at some point though to make them sharper.” Keith said quietly, and Lance listened intently. “They kept shining some light in my eyes and making loud noises before they would put in more drugs.”

“Did it hurt…?” Lance asked hesitantly, and he could tell by Keith’s lack of response that it did. “I’m so sorry, Baby.”

“‘S not your fault.” Keith mumbled.

“I shouldn’t have let them take you.” He said sorrowfully, and Keith pressed a finger to his lips. 

“Shut up. This… none of this is your fault, okay?”

Lance let out a sigh, knowing he was fighting a losing battle. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Keith, and he felt how tense he was.

“Are you okay? You’re tense, Love.”

“Just… tired.” Keith said quietly, and Lance nodded. Keith did sound exhausted, and he seemed to be having trouble talking around his fangs. He was tired too, but he was starving before anything else.

As if on cue, Shiro knocked on the door.

“Come in!” Lance called, and he felt Keith tense as the lights turned on.

“Hey guys. I brought you both some food.” Shiro said softly, and he placed two bowls of some pasta-like creation down next to the bed. Lance quickly grabbed his and started to scarf it down.

“You should eat, Keith.” Shiro said, and he handed Keith his serving. Keith frowned at it before hesitantly taking a small bite, slowly chewing it before swallowing it down. He handed it back to Shiro with a grimace.

“Keith, if you don’t eat something soon, we are going to have to put you on an IV.” Shiro chided, and Lance watched carefully as Keith rolled back into the sheets.

“Not hungry.”

Shiro sighed, and Lance knew that his honorary brother knew better than to push him too far.

“I’ll work with him, Shiro.” Lance said softly, and Shiro nodded.

“If you guys need to talk about anything- and I mean anything at all, you know where to find me.” He said before opening up the door.

Lance gave a small wave before he went and turned off the lights. He saw Keith visibly relax at the darkness, and a thought popped into his head.

“Do you have a headache, Baby?”

Keith didn’t reply.

“Keith…”

“It’s fine.”

Lance eased into bed next to him, careful not to jostle him. He ran his fingers through his mullet and watched as Keith relaxed.

“Can you sleep?”

“I guess.”

“Have you tried?”

Keith shrugged.

Lance slowed down his breathing, hoping Keith would follow suit. After a few minutes, Keith seemed to relax, and Lance drifted off.

-

Lance woke up to Keith curled into his side, eyes closed and breathing even. He stared at him for a few moments before a soft smile spread on Keith’s face.

“You’re staring.” He said in a mumble.

“I thought you were asleep.”

Keith peaked his eyes open, and a frown immediately came to his face as he scrunched up his nose.

“Still have a headache, Love?”

Keith nodded slowly, and Lance noticed he was working his jaw.

“Do your teeth hurt, too?”

Keith shrugged.

“Okay, Keith I want you to tell me everything that is wrong so I can help you.”

“Can we eat first?” Keith mumbled, and Lance sighed.

“Yeah… You might feel better after we eat. We’ll see if we can get you something soft.”

Keith nodded, and for the first time since Lance had seen him, he uncurled himself from the blankets. When he stood, he noticed he was still pale and sweaty. Lance frowned.

“Do you have a fever?” Lance asked quickly, placing his hand on his forehead. There wasn’t any warmth there, but he could feel how tight his muscles were, and he could feel that Keith was still shaking.

“Just don’t feel good. Let’s just… eat something.”

Lance nodded slowly, slipping his hand over Keith’s before leading them down the hallway. He noticed that Keith seemed to have an aversion to the lights, so he made a note to talk to Coran about getting him some kind of glasses or something to help his eyes. Maybe Galra eyes had a sensitivity to light.

As they neared the dining hall, Keith slowed to a stop.

“Keith?”

“What if they don’t like how I look?” Keith said softly, and Lance wrapped his arm around him.

“Keith, we are your family. We don’t care what you look like. We only care that you’re okay.”

Keith worried his lip, and Lance pulled him forward.

The doors slid open and everyone fell silent.

“Hey guys. Keith’s teeth kind of hurt, so can we get something soft to eat?” Lance said quickly, ushering Keith to a seat as he trained his eyes on the table. Everyone stared for just a moment before quickly catching onto the vibe.

“Sure, Buddy. I found some sort of blender thing that I can mash up some kind of smoothie for him. You okay, Keith?”

Keith nodded softly.

“We were pretty worried about you.” Pidge said after a moment. “You didn’t talk much after you got out of the pod.” 

“Sorry.” Keith said softly.

“It’s okay, Keith. We are simply glad you are here now.” Allura added. Keith’s eyes met hers, and he relaxed when he saw no judgement there.

“So-”

Suddenly, the alarms began blaring, red lights filling the room as an emergency hailing frequency was picked up. Everyone was on their feet except for Keith, who was suddenly on the floor.

“Keith!” Lance shouted as he rushed to his side. He was shaking violently, breathlessly crying as he clutched at his head.

“What’s wrong with him?” Pidge cried, and Allura quickly turned off the alarm and the lights as everyone came to Keith’s aid.

He was breathing harshly through his nose, his body shaking as tears poured down his face. Lance grabbed his chin to try and look at him, and Keith quickly pulled away with a gasp as he brushed against his jaw.

“Keith- Keith Baby talk to me…!” Lance pleaded, wrapping his arms around him as he lead Keith to burrow into his chest. Keith did so willingly, his eyes squeezed shut as he tried to catch his breath.

“Is he having a panic attack?” Shiro asked quickly, but Keith shallowly shook his head before moaning and digging deeper into Lance’s chest.

“Is it your head?” Lance asked, and Keith stuttered a breath as he nodded.

“Oh god, Keith do you have a migraine?”

Keith dug into his chest.

“Paladins, please report to the bridge! We have an emergency transmission from a nearby planet!” Coran called from the speakers, and Keith let out a sob.

“You guys go to the bridge.” Lance said firmly. “Tell Coran to not use the speakers unless it’s absolutely necessary and to turn off any more alarms. I’m going to take care of Keith until you need me. Tell Coran to come to our room when he can.” 

The others nodded hesitantly, rushing to the bridge and leaving Lance alone with Keith. Immediately Lance picked him up, whispering apologies as he rushed down the hall and back into their room.

By the time Lance placed him on the bed, Keith was struggling for breath through the pain. Lance turned all of the lights off, the only light coming from the light glow of the accented walls. He found a way to dim them, but he would have to get Coran to turn them off completely. He quickly came to Keith’s side, the boy curled in the sheets once again as he shook violently.

“Keith… Keith, Baby, it’s okay… Everything’s okay.” He whispered, feeling around on the sheets for some sort of opening.

He heard Keith moan in pain, and he felt his heart break.

“Here, open up, I have an idea.” Lance said softly as he pulled out a box from under his bed.

Keith hesitantly loosened his grip on the sheets, Lance slipping under them with the box as he tried to adjust his vision.

Keith was shaking, his hands digging into his hair as he placed his face into a pillow. He was breathing harshly through his nose and shaking as the pain ripped through him at every movement. He was covered in sweat, something Lance now realized was due to the amount of pain he was in.

“Shit, Keith… Why didn’t you tell me it was this bad…? Did the alarm and the lights trigger it like this?” Lance said tearfully, and he didn’t wait for a response before he gently tried to pull Keith’s hands away from his head.

“M-My eyes… and e-ears…” Keith gasped, taking in a shuddering breath as talking seemed to physically hurt him. “A-and… teeth… My head...they… they hurt so bad…”

“Okay… Okay. I’m going to help you, okay? Just- bare with me for a few minutes.”

Lance knew a lot about migraines. He grew up having them constantly. He outgrew it when he went to the Garrison, but he would still get stress migraines during finals if he didn’t sleep enough.

Luckily that meant he knew exactly how to help Keith.

“Here, Baby, put these on.” He said softly as he slipped his sleep mask over Keith’s eyes, the boy inhaling sharply at the sudden darkness. He slipped on Pidge’s noise-cancelling headphones next, not plugging in any music as he let Keith adjust to the absence of sound. He laid Keith down after that, watching as Keith tried to deepen his breath and stop his shaking. He pressed on a few pressure points he remembered from childhood, but Keith didn’t seem to be getting much better.

A knock on the door sounded, Keith groaning at the noise, and Lance slipped out of the covers quickly to make them stop.

He opened it to find Coran looking sick with worry.

“My boy, what is happening?” He whispered, obviously getting word that he needed to be quiet.

“Coran, I need a few ice packs, some cold water, and pain medicine. Can you get me some? And don’t knock next time. Just come in quietly.”

“Is Number Four alright?” He asked quietly, and Lance worried his lip as he looked at the ball Keith had curled up in.

“He has a really bad headache that is making him very sick. I need you to get that stuff right away.”

Coran nodded and ran down the hallway, Lance easing his way back onto the bed as he rubbed at what he guessed was Keith’s forehead from above the sheets. He let out a quick stuttering breath, letting tears flow down his face.

How had he not noticed Keith was hurting so badly? What kind of boyfriend doesn’t notice when his lover who had just been mutilated by aliens is hurting this bad? Sure, Keith was good at hiding when he was hurting, but the fact that he was admitting at all that he was in pain should have tipped him off that he was not okay and needed help.

Keith must have noticed he was berating himself, because suddenly a pale hand stuck out from under the covers and tried to search for his hand. Lance took it in his, and he slowly lifted the covers so he could lay next to Keith.

“Not...your...fault…” Keith said through harsh breaths, and Lance shushed him.

“Don’t talk, Love. I know it hurts you.” He chided in a soft whisper, and Lance frowned as he noticed Keith biting on the pillow.

“Coran is bringing medicine and ice. Everything’s going to be okay.” He whispered, and Keith curled into a ball at his side.

As if on cue, Lance heard the door slide open, and he slid out from the sheets to see what all Coran had brought.

“This is a pain medicine that I have given to Number One before, so I think it shall work fine with Number Four’s body, but it did make him quite tired, so Number Four might have to sleep it off.” Coran said in a whisper, holding out a blue fluid in a small container. “I bought altean cold compresses that can stick to his skin and maintain their temperature. The Princess mentioned his teeth were hurting, so I brought this small cold ring that are sometimes given to infants when their teeth are coming in. I don’t know if it will help-”

“It’s perfect Coran. Thank you.” Lance said softly, and Coran quickly poured out the medicine into a spoon as Lance began to pull on the covers.

“Keith, we got you some medicine. I need you to come out.”

Keith groaned as he let the sheets be pulled off of him, jaw clenched as Lance eased him up to sitting. He was sweaty and shaking as Lance sat next to him.

“I need you to open your mouth, Love.” Lance said next to his headphones as he took the spoon, and Keith just barely parted his lips. Lance hissed at how red and swollen his gums had become, and he cursed himself for not noticing sooner how bad of shape his mouth was in. He slid the spoon inside and Keith clamped down.

Dutifully, Keith swallowed down the medicine, his jaw shaking as he opened it again. He took a sip of cold water before leaning on Lance’s shoulder. Lance took the teething toy and placed it against Keith’s lip, the boy biting down as the cold rubber soothed his fangs.

“Here, lie down.” Lance said softly, and Keith sighed around the ring as he laid back against the pillow. Lance placed compresses on both sides of his jaw, on the back of his neck, and on his forehead before letting him lie still.

“Is there anything I can do to help, my boy?” Coran asked, and Lance shook his head.

“I think this is it. Is everyone else okay?”

“Yes, they should be back in about a varga or so.” Coran whispered softly. “I’ll go back and instruct them if you are okay.”

“Yeah, we are okay. I’ve got it from here. Thanks, Coran.”

With that, Coran took his leave, and Lance eased himself down onto the bed as he let Keith rest for a moment without being touched. It hurt to not be able to physically soothe Keith, but he knew it was best to let him have a moment to adjust to his surroundings.

After a few moments, Keith began searching for his hands. Lance softly began rubbing on the back of Keith’s hand, pressing his index finger into a pressure point in his palm. He worked his rubbing all the way up his arm, and Keith weakly laid his other arm over to get the same treatment. Lance smiled softly as he pressed soft kisses to the underside of his forearm, using a rag to wash the sweat from his chest. He moved around to softly rub the rest of Keith’s muscles, careful not to jostle the bed as he soothed the tension from his body. As he finished, Keith was breathing slow and evenly, pulling Lance towards him.

“Are you tired, Baby?”

Keith nodded softly.

“Go to sleep, then. I’ll be right here.” Lance whispered as he laid down next to Keith, his hand rubbing at Keith’s hair line. He relaxed until the ring fell out of his mouth, snoring softly as Lance placed it on the table next to the bed. 

He played with Keith’s hair for the next varga or so, zoning out into his own slumber, before he heard shuffling behind the door. 

He slowly shifted out of the bed, slipping the door open as he stepped into the hall.

“Lance, is he okay?” Shiro asked quickly, and Lance nodded.

“He has a really bad migraine, but Coran and I gave him some pain medicine and some ice, and he seems to be doing better. I gave him Pidge’s noise canceling headphones and my sleep mask and he seems to be doing better. He’s asleep right now.”

The group collectively let out a sigh of relief.

“What happened to him?” Pidge asked quietly, and Lance looked down in shame.

“I didn’t notice he was hurting. His mouth- they mutilated his mouth. His gums and jaw are so swollen, and I think his eyes are really sensitive to the light. He’s been squinting every time they’ve been on. He said his ears hurt- I think maybe they are sensitive too. I should have noticed this, Pidge- I should have-”

“None of that Lance. No one realized Keith was in so much pain, or we would have done something about it.” Allura interjected, and Lance slumped in defeat.

“Still…”

“I know you want to help him Lance, but Keith has spent a lot of his life taking care of himself. It’s going to take some time to get him to let us help him with things he doesn’t think are urgent.” Shiro added.

Lance simply nodded.

He knew they were right. He knew Keith was just trying to be tough, but it still bothered Lance to know that he hadn’t noticed how bad off Keith was, especially since he did mention that he was uncomfortable.

Keith was always one to play it off when he was hurting though.

With a sigh, he looked back at the door.

“I should probably go back in there. I promised him I wouldn’t leave.”

“I’ll bring you your breakfast, and I’ll finish making Keith’s smoothie. I’ll make it extra soft so he can drink it through a straw.” Hunk said thoughtfully, and Lance flashed him a smile.

“Thanks buddy.”

“Good luck.” Shiro said softly.

“Call us if you need us.” Allura added.

With that, Lance slipped back into the room, Keith fast asleep on the bed. That medicine really did knock him out, although he was sure he must be exhausted after the last few days. Lance laid next to him, Keith tugging on the sheet in his sleep until he got it in his mouth. Lance pulled him close, stroking his hand through his mullet as Keith softly snored in his ear. As he began to doze off himself, he had a final, resolute thought.

They would get through this just like they did everything else- together.

**Author's Note:**

> This one isn't my favorite, but I wanted to try and write out the scene I saw in my head. Just a short one shot.


End file.
